Russian Academy of Sciences Labels Homeopathy a 'Health Hazard'

Feb. 6, 2017

An employee holds a vial of a treatment made with sulphur from a cabinet of homeopathic treatments.
Josh Reynolds / AP

The Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) has labelled homeopathic medicine a health hazard.
The organization is now petitioning Russia's Ministry of Health to abandon the use of homeopathic medicine in the country's state hospitals, the RBC news outlet reported Monday.

A RAS committee found that some patients were rejecting standard medicine in favor of homeopathic cures, putting their lives in danger. The committee also warned that some unlicenced homeopathic tablets contain toxic substances.

"The principles of homeopathy contradict known chemical, physical and biological laws and persuasive scientific trials proving its effectiveness are not available,” the committee said in its report.

The move forms part of a growing backlash against homeopathic medicine in Russia. Last month, students at the First Moscow State Medical University filed a petition to ban homeopathic principles from being taught in medical schools. Russia's Federal Customs Service also introduced new rules in November 2016, forcing manufacturers to prove the effectiveness of any homeopathic products that they wish to sell.